U.S./World category, Page 704
Space telescope’s ‘golden eye’ opens, last major hurdle
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s new space telescope opened its huge, gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror Saturday, the final step in the observatory’s dramatic unfurling. The last portion of the 21-foot mirror swung into place at flight controllers’ command, completing the unfolding of the James Webb Space Telescope. “I’m emotional about it....
Maine governor vetoes bill to allow farm workers to unionize
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s Democratic governor has vetoed a bill that would have given farm workers in the state the right to unionize, citing the possibility of heaping new costs on an already struggling agriculture sector. The Maine Legislature passed the proposal, which called for people working in agriculture to...
Hundreds in Lebanon protest measures targeting unvaccinated
BEIRUT — Hundreds of people rallied in Beirut on Saturday to protest measures imposed against the unvaccinated, saying individuals should have the right to decide whether to be inoculated or not. Vaccination is not compulsory in Lebanon, but in recent days authorities have cracked down on people who are not...
Chinese American man attacked in New York City dies months later
NEW YORK — A Chinese American man who was brutally attacked in April while collecting cans in East Harlem has died of his injuries, and his case is now deemed a homicide, police said Saturday. Yao Pan Ma, 61, died Dec. 31, police said. The attack drew national attention as...
Biden surveys Colorado wildfire damage, comforts victims
LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Offering hugs and humor, President Joe Biden comforted Coloradans grappling with rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed last week by a rare wind-whipped, winter fire that burned through a pair of heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder. One victim was identified Friday and one person remained unaccounted...
Treasury: November saw highest disbursement of rental aid
States and localities in November paid out the largest amount of rental assistance to cash-strapped tenants since a federal program began, the Treasury Department said in a statement Friday. The $2.9 billion paid out is the latest sign that the program’s early hiccups have been mostly been resolved and it...
Slain officer’s sister sues Facebook for wrongful death
OAKLAND, Calif. — The sister of a slain federal security officer is suing Facebook, alleging the tech giant played a part in the radicalization of two men who are accused of planning the killing on its platform. David Patrick Underwood was fatally shot and his partner was wounded while guarding...
Supreme Court casts doubt on Biden’s vaccine rule for the workplace
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority cast doubt Friday on President Joe Biden’s plan to require that most American employees be vaccinated for covid-19 or undergo weekly testing. The justices agreed to weigh in on the partisan divide over vaccines and hear from lawyers for 27 Republican-led states, who...
Biden’s economic challenge: Finding workers and goods
President Joe Biden enters the midterm election year of 2022 determined to address what economists call a “supply” problem — there aren’t enough jobseekers or goods to meet the country’s needs. This is also a political problem. The mismatch has obscured the strong growth and 3.9% unemployment rate achieved during...
Ahmaud Arbery killers get life in prison; no parole for father, son
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced Friday to life in prison, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man. Murder carries a mandatory sentence...
Kazakh president: Forces can shoot to kill to quell unrest
MOSCOW — Kazakhstan’s president authorized security forces on Friday to shoot to kill those participating in unrest, opening the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent. The Central Asian nation this week experienced its worst street protests since gaining independence from the...
Teen in Michigan school shooting waives key court hearing
DETROIT — A teenager charged with killing four students at their Michigan high school waived a key hearing Friday, a decision that moves his case straight to a trial court, while his parents faced a separate court appearance to try to get out of jail. Prosecutors in Michigan typically have...
Video shows Ohio cop shoot without warning at man firing into airVideo
CLEVELAND — Police in Ohio released body camera footage Thursday showing an officer firing multiple rounds through a wooden privacy fence without warning at someone shooting gunfire into the air on the other side. James Williams, 46, of Canton, was shot in the chest minutes into the new year and...
Winter storm blanketing parts of South with snow, iceVideo
NASHVILLE — A winter storm blanketed parts of the South with snow, freezing rain and sleet Thursday, tying up roads in Tennessee and Kentucky as the system tracked a path through Appalachia toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The storm began hitting greater Nashville on Thursday morning. About 4 to 6...
Investigators: Fire at Tennessee Planned Parenthood intentionally set
KNOXVILLE — A fire that destroyed a Tennessee Planned Parenthood clinic was intentionally set, fire officials said Thursday. Officials are looking for a suspect and asked the public to provide tips to the Knoxville Fire Department, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. The building erupted in flames last Friday, with fire...
Official says Kamala Harris was evacuated on Jan. 6 after pipe bomb was found
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris, then the vice president-elect, was evacuated from the Democratic National Committee headquarters when a pipe bomb was found Jan. 6, 2020, a White House official said Thursday. The confirmation a year-to-the-day after the bomb was discovered adds another detail to Harris’ timeline from the day of...
4th resident of Florida retirement haven charged with voter fraud
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A fourth resident of a massive Florida retirement community has been arrested on a charge of voter fraud. Charles Barnes, 64, was arrested Tuesday and charged with voter fraud for casting more than one ballot, according to an arrest affidavit filed in court. The arrest affidavit...
U.S. had 5 rabies deaths last year, highest total in a decade
NEW YORK — Five Americans died of rabies last year — the largest number in a decade — and health officials said Thursday that some of the people didn’t realize they had been infected or refused life-saving shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on three...
Diaper donnybrook: Family sues condo board, claims swim diaper ban violates baby’s civil rights
Add swim diapers to the list of issues that can get turned into a federal case. A Florida family is suing their condo board over what they say is a rule barring children from using the community pool while wearing swim diapers. Swim diapers are a snug-fitting lightweight alternative to...
Dozens of protesters, 12 police dead in Kazakhstan protests
MOSCOW — Security forces killed dozens of protesters and 12 police died during extraordinarily violent demonstrations in Kazakhstan that saw government buildings stormed and set ablaze, authorities said Thursday. One police officer was found beheaded in escalating unrest that poses a growing challenge to authoritarian rule in the Central Asian...
China plans space station completion, many launches in 2022
China has recommitted itself to completing its orbiting space station by the end of the year and says it is planning more than 40 launches for 2022, putting it roughly level with the United States. Launches would include those of two Shenzhou crewed missions, two Tianzhou cargo spacecraft and the...
U.S. average long-term mortgage rates rise; 30-year at 3.22%
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose in the past week to start the new year. They reached their highest level since May 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, yet remained historically low. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan...
Scientists explore Thwaites, Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier
A team of scientists is sailing to “the place in the world that’s the hardest to get to” so they can better figure out how much and how fast seas will rise because of global warming eating away at Antarctica’s ice. Thirty-two scientists on Thursday are starting a more than...
Powerball tickets sold in Wisconsin, California split $632M
MADISON, Wis. — Powerball tickets sold in Wisconsin and California were winners of the latest jackpot and will split $632 million, officials said. The Wisconsin Lottery didn’t immediately announce where the winning ticket in its state was sold. The winning ticket in California was sold at a 7-Eleven convenience store...
Biden decries Trump backers as ‘trying to rewrite history’ on anniversary of Capitol breach
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden accused Donald Trump and his supporters of holding a “dagger at the throat of democracy” in a forceful speech Thursday marking the anniversary of the deadly breach of the U.S. Capitol. He warned that though it didn’t succeed, the insurrection remains a serious threat to...
